“You don’t say,” Val casually answered.
“Wait here. I’ll have Fisher brought up as soon as possible,” Lt. Ronan said with a knowing look in his eyes.
“Thank you.”
Val flipped the lid off the cup of gourmet coffee she had fought tooth and nail to bring in.
“Smells great.” Ricky looked through the files he had stacked on the table. “That all part of your master plan?”
“Fisher’s multiple infractions include causing a ruckus over not being able to get a decent cup of coffee. Smelling this ought to get a rise out of him.”
“Taunting an inmate with coffee when he’s only allowed tap water?”
“You know me, Ricky. I will use whatever I need to get the job done. If I had to, I’d bring in a half-naked hooker waving a fresh- baked apple pie. Lucky for us, Fisher is accustomed to the finer things in life. Like a good cup of Joe.”
The door opened, and Ricky quickly donned the thick, clumsy eyeglasses. While Val slumped down in her chair and plastered a bored look on her face, Ricky frantically flipped through his files, appearing to be helpless.
“I’m not saying a word without my lawyer,” Simon said once Lt. Ronan shackled him to the table.
“Fair enough,” Val said and yawned. “Come on, Dick, the man wants his lawyer.”
“Deputy, need I remind you that this is my case,” Ricky sputtered in a squeaky voice. “Just drink your coffee if you’re not going to help.”
“I need to let it cool off.” Val stretched her arms above her head. “Can’t rush a good cup of coffee. Isn’t that right, Doc?”
“The lady is correct,” Fisher said. “Hawaiian?”
“Jamaican blue mountain.”
“Excellent choice.” Fisher licked his lips.
“Would you like a sip?” Val casually offered.
“Deputy! You can’t offer him any beverages. Good heavens, woman, don’t they teach you people anything?” Ricky screeched.
“My mother taught me not to raise my voice when it wasn’t necessary. Why don’t you be a good boy and call the doctor’s lawyer? And be quick about it. I have dinner reservations.”
“Don’t waste your time, Agent,” Fisher said. “My attorney is out of town.”
“Seems like we’ve wasted your time, Dr. Fisher.” Val smiled and nudged her coffee closer. Fisher reached for it, only to fail when Ricky snatched it away. “Now, that was rude,” Val said. “It’s only coffee. What did you think he was going to do, caffeinate us to death?”
“A hot, scalding beverage! Your lack of common sense is appalling.”
“You know what I find appalling? The FBI wasting my time with this malarkey you call a case.” Val emphasized her point by making quotation marks when she stressed the word case. “I can’t believe that our government wastes money on crap like this. Oh, by the way, Dr. Fisher, this session is being recorded.”
“That’s quite all right. As I stated before, I won’t be answering any questions without my lawyer. Since she’s out of town, I guess you can save the taxpayers’ money and be on your way.”
“You heard the man.” Val popped out of her chair. “I told you from the get-go, this was a waste. Thank you, Dr. Fisher. Sorry for intruding on your day.”
“No worries. It isn’t like I have anywhere to be.”
“Good point. Sad to say, the only way to extend this little visit is if you waive your right to legal counsel.” Val nudged her coffee just a little closer. She was delighted when Fisher appeared to be salivating. She felt her stomach churn when he leaned back.
“I don’t think so.” He had a smug expression. “Nice try.”
“That means we can go. Come on, Agent Dick, I need to get ready for my dinner date at Stromboli’s.”
“Stromboli’s?” Fisher gulped and his beady eyes glazed over. “Nice place.”
“Yes it is.” Val couldn’t resist smirking. In reality, she’d be lucky if she and Ricky had a chance to stop at Burger King. “I already have my meal planned. I’m starting with oysters on the half shell. For my main course, I’m going for lobster ravioli in a white cream sauce. If I survive, the triple chocolate expresso truffles are to die for.”
“I know.” Simon sighed, and his confident posture slipped.
“The food here must leave a lot to be desired.” She prodded him.
“It is pure unadulterated swill, and that’s just the coffee. The rest is a mess of overcooked starches. Not fit for a pigsty.”
“This is what happens when you murder innocent women.” Ricky wagged his finger.
“If I had committed such horrible acts, I would deserve this vile treatment. I happen to be innocent.”
Val sat down and reclined in the uncomfortable chair. She watched Fisher out of the corner of her eye when she slid her coffee closer to herself and took a sip.
“Mr. Fisher,” Ricky said, “on March twenty-seventh in two thousand three you were busted for having a laptop in your cell.”
“I don’t see my lawyer.” Simon easily dismissed Ricky. “And it is Dr. Fisher. Don’t you have anything to add?” he asked Val who was yawning.
“No. Your innocence or guilt isn’t my concern. If you’re guilty, then you are where you belong. If you were wrongly convicted, you have a lawyer, one I’m certain you’re paying a very high price for.”
“You have no idea. Then why are you here?”
“Bureaucratic horse manure. I’m supposed to be on vacation. But thanks to this yo-yo here.” She jerked her thumb at Ricky. “I’m stuck following his sorry ass around.”
“Dr. Fisher,” Ricky said. “You seem to have accumulated quite a few infractions during your internment.”
“Big deal,” Val said. “The guy is locked up. He has to do something with his time. I’m certain the officials here are more than capable of handling it. If I had to guess, I’d be willing to bet you spent your time at Quantico watching reruns of the X-Files. I don’t care what that bitch back in Boston said, the good doctor can’t even get a decent cup of Joe, never mind hatch some convoluted scheme to make her look bad.”
“I have to agree with the lady, Agent Dick. This does seem like a waste of time, not to mention the taxpayers’ dollars.”
“Dr. Fisher, if you are that eager to get back to your cell…” Ricky tersely began to say.
“Not at all.” Fisher laughed, once again reclining his posture and beaming.
Val took one look at Fisher’s smug expression, and it was clear that he would love to spend the day yanking Ricky’s chain. Thankfully, Ricky had decided not only to allow the facility to record the session, but a small camera had been added on the lapel of his blazer. Pleased with the way things were going, Val took another sip of coffee, fully aware that Fisher was watching her every move.
“So, Agent Dick,” Fisher said in a snarky tone, “is this why you came to see me? To tell me the government is wasting time and money listening to the ramblings of a crooked cop? Just what is she trying to frame me for this time?”
“These are very serious allegations,” Ricky began to say.
“Oh please,” Val said. “A mugging gone bad, some pervert cross-dresser, and a dirty cop. You know, I think she was in cahoots with her drug-dealing partner.”
“You should listen to the lady, Dicky.” Fisher had a confident smirk. “My neighbor was attacked by a gang of vicious thugs. As for my former professor, I always said there was something wrong with that man. Don’t even get me started on how corrupt the police are in Boston.”
Val didn’t react; she just stretched and took another lazy sip of her coffee. Ricky ignored the statement and perused his files. Fisher was watching their every move. When they failed to react to his knowledge, his confident smirk only grew. Everything she had learned about Fisher was true. He not only thought he was the smartest guy in the room, he needed to prove it. On the surface, it appeared that her plan just might work.
“Hey, Dicky boy, you’ve got a question for the doctor? Tick tock. Stromboli’s w
on’t hold my reservation.”
“Hold your water.” Ricky managed to look lost. “On February eleventh, two thousand three, you were cited for having a cell phone in your possession. Care to tell me how you got it?”
“Really?” Fisher laughed. “I’m in prison. Well, not your ordinary prison. Some of my neighbors here are really off the charts. Still they are criminals, and some do possess certain skills.” Fisher looked from Ricky to Val, his contempt clearly evident. “He doesn’t seem very organized.”
“No kidding.” Val gave a grunt. “How’s the appeal going?”
“My lawyer is working night and day. Once I’m out of here, I’m suing the lot of them, the keepers in here and that dyke cop who framed me.”
“Framed you?” Ricky said.
“Did you see my mug shot? I was beaten to within an inch of my life.”
“Wait,” Val said. “I think I glanced at that. Weren’t you attacked by Janie? She claimed she was defending herself.”
“Poor Janie. That dyke twisted her thinking. Janie has nothing to fear from me. It was that cop who was sniffing around her. I need to get out of here to protect her from those kinds of people.”
“You just never know with that kind.” Val nodded in agreement. Internally, she wanted to smack Fisher. Calloway had been right. Dr. Simon Fisher was just as crazy as he was smart. Something Val found to be a very dangerous combination. She gave Ricky a nod to inform him that it was time to go. Fisher had already told them what they came there to find out. He was involved, and there was no way they could prove it.
Ricky peered over his goofy eyeglasses, and his look begged for more time. Val shrugged, not feeling confident that anything would come of it. Ricky pursed his lips before returning his attention to the stack of paperwork.
“Dr. Fisher, at what age did you stop wetting your bed?”
Fisher barked out a laugh. “That’s the best you got? Please. Dr. Richards should write fiction. In fact she already does. My father, God rest his soul, was confused, and she manipulated him.”
“Actually, the statement regarding your little problem came from your mother. That’s how she referred to it, ‘Simon’s little problem.’”
“What?” Fisher’s face turned beet red. “No, it was my father. Mother still sees the truth. She knows I’m an innocent victim.”
“Innocent victim?” Ricky enunciated slowly.
“I know your associate doesn’t care one way or another, but I was framed.”
“You keep telling yourself that, Doc.” Ricky snorted with disgust. “Just like you keep insisting that you didn’t set Professor Harden’s office on fire after you almost failed his class.”
“Why would I bother? I took the class again and fared much better with a more enlightened professor. One who, I might add, wasn’t a pervert who liked to play dress-up.”
“Different class at a different college. You switched schools a lot. Why is that?”
“I expect the best,” Simon said. “I was extremely disappointed in the education, or rather lack thereof, I was being offered.”
“You’ve been getting some interesting mail lately. Planning on baking a cake?”
“Agent Dick.” Simon chuckled. “The outside world is filled with crazy characters. I can’t stop some poor lonely woman from sending me mail. The guy in the next cell, Tim Doriean, is in here for killing his pregnant wife. Bolted her inside the household freezer. Kept her there for over a year before someone figured it out. At least once a week, he gets a letter from some misguided woman begging him to marry her. There are some seriously deranged people out there.”
“I’ve got a question for you, Dr. Fisher,” Val said casually and took another sip of her coffee. “If you’re innocent, then why did you confess? This has nothing to do with the case. I’m just curious. It sounds like you got a raw deal.”
“I didn’t confess.” Simon scoffed at the idea. “Haven’t you been listening? I was framed by a jealous dyke. I’ve warned Janie time and time again to stay away from those people. Just not natural.”
“No kidding.” Val pretended to agree. “You must be worried. Janie’s back in Boston under the influence of that deviant, and you’re stuck in here.”
“I don’t know why she doesn’t listen to me. That will change once I’m out of here.”
“I hope you’re free very soon. I’d hate to think about someone I cared about hanging around with that type. Agent Dick, are we done yet?”
“No.”
“Dr. Fisher has informed us that he has nothing to say. Until his lawyer is available, we’re wasting our time. Hell, even if his lawyer were here, we’d be wasting our time.”
“Fine.” Ricky pretended to fuss before he called for the guard.
“Holy crap,” Val said once Simon was escorted from the room. “Now I understand why Calloway called for the clown wagon instead of letting it go to trial.”
“No kidding.” Ricky gulped. “He’s nuts. This guy really believes that Janie is alive. We need to drop in on Fisher’s lawyer. She’s in LA. I want to wrap this up before we find another body.”
“I agree. Now that we’ve tipped our hand, he knows that we know. Calloway has to be number one on his hit list. I’d like to be in Boston, if anything happens. This guy let a child molester run wild. I want to be the one to grab him by the short hairs.”
“You believe Fisher is behind this?” Ricky gloated.
“So do you. The guy knew too much. Pity we can’t use it. Even if we got the tape in, Fisher can just claim his lawyer or his mommy told him about the unfortunate events. It doesn’t help that the guy is a couple clowns short of a circus.”
“I’ll send a copy of the video to Calloway, then we can hit the road.”
“Hurry. It will take her forever to figure out how to play the video.”
“Done, let’s go.”
* * *
It did take CC a good amount of time to open the video message. Thankfully Leigh Mulligan intervened and loaded it onto her laptop.
“Look at the cocky bastard,” CC said with disgust as they watched the video at her desk.
“Janie Jensen fought back?” Leigh asked, the confusion evident in her voice.
“Not that we know of. The only victim we know that fought back was the surviving victim.”
“Who was that?”
“My wife.”
“But Brown said Janie?”
“The twitchy little freak thinks she’s alive. He confuses his victims with Janie. My wife Jamie really confused him. It’s the reason we took a plea. The little bugger really is nuts, legally nuts. The truth is, we never had enough evidence to ensure a conviction.”
“And yet you still got him. Amazing. Okay, so other than tipping her hand, what did Brown accomplish?”
“Now that he knows that they know, he’ll step up his game.”
“That would be interesting if it weren’t so freaking insane.”
CC looked up at Leigh, who was studying the board she had created. “We had to push him.” CC tried to reason with her new partner. “Worst-case scenario, I’ve been moved way up on the hit parade.”
“What is the best-case scenario?”
“I’ve been moved up on the hit parade. That or Simon’s goon will take an interest in Ricky. Either way we’ll be on the alert.”
“Seriously?” Leigh sputtered. “The best and the worst outcome is a target on your back. I don’t know.”
“Honestly, neither do I. We’re just playing a hunch. Maybe the background check on Fisher’s playmates will give us a leg up.”
“A leg up on what?” Palmucci entered the conference room.
“Who kidnapped the Lindberg baby. Got any ideas?”
“You’re a real smart-ass, Calloway. What’s going on with your grand plan? So far all I’ve seen is nothing but smoke and mirrors.”
“Best I can do.”
“If that’s your best, we’re all screwed. I got a good case against your partner.”
/> “Take your best shot, Palmucci. In the meantime, Leigh will play you a video we’ve been watching. I need to talk to my boss, but he’s locked in with Crowley.”
“That cannot be good.” Leigh cued up the tape for Palmucci. “Didn’t Crowley retire a few years ago? Why is he butting in on this business with Andy?”
“Because he can. He was the number-one badge in this city forever and as backward as the day is long. He still thinks that women shouldn’t be on the streets.”
“The first time I met him, he referred to me as a greasy wop,” Palmucci said. “Unless you’re an Irishman, Crowley doesn’t think you should be wearing a badge.”
“Nice,” Mulligan said. “So he’s in there chewing the captain a new one because Andy is a good old boy?”
“Yes.” CC glanced over to the Captain’s office. “I’m glad you’re here, Mulligan. But I have to say I miss the coffee the guys were bringing me every morning.”
“It’s no secret that almost everyone wanted Max’s seat.”‘
“I hate this little tool!” Palmucci slammed his fist on the desk. “He did everything but say that he’s in on it. The little dingle berry needs to have his arse kicked.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Everyone in the squad room jumped when the door to the captain’s office flew open. Crowley stomped out, his face red and the veins in his neck bulging.
“Listen to me, you stupid Canuck. You do what you’re told.”
“Or?” Rousseau confidently challenged. “If you’d like to testify on Andy’s behalf, feel free.”
“Shove it.” Crowley stormed out of the squad room.
“Like a breath of fresh air, isn’t he?” Palmucci returned his attention to the video. “Hey, what’s the word on Mac C? I need to get my bets for Sunday in.”
“I can’t get through to him,” CC said. “Keep it down about Mac if you don’t mind.”
“Try him again,” Palmucci grumbled.
“Fine,” CC snapped unclipping her phone. Quickly her mood turned surly when she was unable to get it to dial her uncle’s number.
“Here, let me.” Leigh snatched the cell phone from CC’s grasp. “You were streaming real-time video to him.”
Checkmate (Caitlin Calloway Mystery Book 2) Page 41